Side dispensing closure

ABSTRACT

A side dispensing container closure cap is provided with a hinged lid extending to a side periphery of the cap and which is pivotable from a closed position to an opened position and which has depending side walls along the length of the pivotable portion forming a chute passage to the periphery of the cap, the chute passage has dividing walls between the side walls to define a plurality of chute-like passages. Stops are provided to allow partial opening of the pivoted portion and a reinforcing web interconnects the lower portion of the side walls and dividing walls.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This application is a continuation of our application No. 07/393,675filed Aug. 14, 1989, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,663 of Oct. 8, 1991; whichis a CIP of Ser. No. 234,568 of Aug. 22, 1988, now abandoned; and a CIPof Ser. No. 317,463 of Mar. 1, 1989, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,720 of Jan.15, 1991.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to container closures and more particularly to aside dispensing pivoted top container closure.

PRIOR ART

Containers are normally fitted with closure caps which are frequentlymolded plastic cap members. Numerous examples exist of such moldedclosures equipped with dispensing tops including devices where a portionof the end piece or top of the dispensing cap is pivotable from a closedposition to an open dispensing position. Such dispensing tops normallyprovide for contents dispensing in a direction substantially normal tothe plane of the end face of the cap. Frequently, however, containersare provided with side dispensing openings, particularly where thecontainer is provided for dry, shakeable ingredients such as, forexample, grass seed, rock salt or the like. Often such side dispensingopenings are formed as tear away portions of the container and such tearaway portions may include both a portion of a side wall of the containerand a portion of a top wall of the container.

More recently, plastics material containers have been used for packagingsuch products and it is frequently not desirable to provide tear awayportions for such containers. Such containers, once opened, may notthereafter adequately protect the remaining contents from environmentalconditions, such as moisture. Equipping such containers with shakeabledispenser caps having top openings generally requires the container beheld in an inverted position. This is frequently awkward and can resultin undesired dispensing patterns and difficulty in achieving proper flowcontrol.

Chute type pivoted side dispensers are also known to the art, such asthe classic table salt container utilizing a small pivotable (generallymetal) chute forming member attached to the top of the container whichcan be pivoted to define a pouring chute providing a opening between thetop of the pivoted member and side walls which depend from the top andextend into the interior of the container. Such chute-like dispensershave generally not been adapted for shaking type dispensing, nor do theyhave a reinforcing web interconnecting the bottom of the side walls, nordo they have multiple chute orifices, nor do they have means to providemultiple sized openings, nor have they generally been designed to extenddirectly to the periphery of the cap.

It would therefore be an improvement in the art to provide a containerclosure cap that has a hinged top and chute-like side dispenser means toprovide a side pour dispenser which is particularly applicable for shakedispensing.

It would be a further improvement in the art to provide a molded plasticside pour container cap which cap is capable of side dispensing via ahinged chute-like top lid portion which opens adjacent the periphery ofthe cap and has a reinforcing web.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a container closure cap which ispreferably a one-piece molded plastic cap. The cap includes a skirtportion which may be provided with female threads for attachment to themale threaded neck of a container and a top surface. The top surface lidis connected to the skirt to preferably form a hat-like closure cap. Thetop has a hinged lid portion which may be formed with a living hinge andwhich extends to adjacent the periphery of the top surface. The hingedlid portion has a top lid wall with depending side walls which, togetherwith the hinged top lid wall, define a chute-like dispensing openingadjacent to periphery of the top surface. Internal divider walls arepreferably provided to define a plurality of chute-like dispensers. Areinforcing web member joins the lower portion of the side walls anddivider walls to define plurality of dispensing orifices. The dividerwalls are substantially parallel to each other. Stop members may beprovided for locking the lid in several open and closed positions. A lipon the lid overlies the periphery of the hat-like extension to allow thehinged lid to be readily opened. The bottom web preferably has stopmeans thereon to prevent the lid from opening beyond the bottom of theweb.

In this manner we provide a one piece molded plastic container closureadapted for side dispensing which has at least one and preferably aplurality of chute-like dispensing orifices which open substantially atthe periphery of the closure so as to facilitate side dispensing of theingredients contained within the container. If desired, one or more ofthe side walls or divider walls may be provided with beads or ribs whichcan cooperate with portions of the container periphery or with aninturned lip thereat, to retain the dispensing opening in various openor closed positions.

It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide animproved side dispensing container closure or cap.

It is a specific object of this invention to provide an improvedone-piece molded plastic container closure or cap adapted for sidedispensing of the container's contents through a dispensing openingformed adjacent a peripheral edge of the closure and by a plurality ofchute-like dispensers formed as part of a hinged lid which is hinged tothe closure top by a living hinge. The hinged lid has side walls, atleast one internal divider wall between the side walls and a webinterconnecting the bottom portions of the side walls and divider wallsto define a plurality of dispensing orifices and having projectionswhich interfit with other portions of the top to retain the hingedportions selectively opened or closed.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be readilyapparent from the following description of a preferred embodimentthereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, althoughvariations and modifications may be effected without departing from thespirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure, and in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary prospective view of a container equipped withclosure cap of this invention with the dispensing orifice open.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the closure cap of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 3--3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines of 4--4 of FIG.3.

FIG. 5 is a side view with portions broken away to show underlyingportions of a container closure cap of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken from the front of the container closureadjacent the dispensing openings substantially along the lines of 6--6of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantiallyalong the lines of 7--7 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a enlarged fragmentary sectional view substantially along thelines of 8--8 of FIG. 2 with the dispensing orifice closed.

FIG. 9 is a side plan view of the container closure of FIG. 1illustrating the position in which the closure may be molded and, bydotted lines showing closure of the chute dispensing mechanism.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary prospective view of a container equipped withanother closure cap of this invention with the dispensing orifice open.

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the closure cap of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines of 12--12 ofFIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines of 13--13 ofFIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a side view with portions broken away to show underlyingportions of a container closure cap of FIG. 10.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken from the frontof the container closure of a sidewall of the hinged portionsubstantially along the lines of 15--15 of FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the lines of16--16 of FIG. 14.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates a container 10 equipped with a onepiece moldedplastic or closure cap 11. The particular shape of the container has noimportance to this invention except that it is equipped with a openended throat 12 which may have a means for affixing a closure to thecontainer formed thereon. In the further discussion of the preferredembodiment the fixing means on the closure is shown as including femalethreads 13 which would index with male threads on the neck of thecontainer. Alternatively other types of cooperating fasteners may beused such as a snap-on bead fasteners or the like.

The type of container sought to be illustrated is a dry goods containergenerally molded of plastic which has recently become popular foringredients designed to be shaken such as grass seed, road salt,fertilizer and the like. Such containers are generally large and theymay hold a quart or more of product to be dispensed.

The particular closure of this invention is particularly well adaptedfor use with dry ingredient and dispensing and particularly of that typeof dry ingredient which is most advantageously dispensed by a back andforth sweeping or shaking motion of the container.

However, the container and closure may be sized for finer materials suchas spices, powders, and even liquids such as syrups, oils and shampoos.

The closure body is illustrated as hat-like with a depending peripheralskirt 15 on which the internal female threads 13 are formed. The top 16is formed as a generally hat-like extension extending upwardly from theskirt but positioned inwardly therefrom and spaced from the periphery ofthe skirt by a ledge section 17. The ledge 17 may overlie the rim of thecontainer. The hat-like extension includes an annular peripheral wallportion 18 and a top end wall 19 Such hat-like closures are common inthe industry. The closure, including the skirt 15, the ledge 17, theperiphery wall 18 and the top end wall 19 is circular although ifdesired other shapes could be employed as will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art. An annular skirt is preferred because the closure isgenerally adapted for containers have a circular neck.

The top end wall 19 is provided with a hinged lid portion 20 whichoccupies more than half of the top wall 19. The lid is pivotallyconnected to the top end wall through a living hinge connection 21. Asillustrated, the hinged lid portion fits in a dispensing aperture or anopening 90 in the top 19. The lid extends from the hinge to theperiphery 27 and is defined by converging sidewalls 25 and 26 whichgenerally converge from the hinge to the periphery. The width of thehinge and the width of the opening at the periphery are predetermineddepending on what material is to be dispensed and on what container theclosure is to be used. The hinged lid 20 is provided in the manner of aflap or leaf which is attached to the top wall only at the living hinge.

The undersurface 29 of the hinged lid portion is provided with aplurality of divider walls 30 which, in the preferred embodiment areparallel to each other but at a slight angle to the convergingsidewalls. The divider walls (30) may be of uniform thickness or ofvarying thickness. As illustrated in FIG. 4, each dividing wall 30 has anarrow tail end 31 and a wider forward end 32 adjacent the forward endof the hinged lid 20. The dividing walls 30 terminate short of theforemost projection or periphery 27 of the hinged lid 20 which foremostprojection overlies and extends beyond the peripheral top 36 of the wall18 to form an opening lip 35. A portion of the wall 18 underlying thelip may be recessed as at 38 to facilitate insertion of the portion ofthe finger to pry open the hinged lid 20.

Sidewalls 40 and 41 extend downwardly from the top surface 42 of thehinged lid at the sides 25 and 26. Both the sidewalls 40 and 41 and thedividing walls 30 are wedge-shaped such that they project below theundersurface 29 to a greater extent adjacent the dispensing peripheralopening 27 and decrease in height towards the living hinge portion. Thesidewalls 40 and 41 may extend all the way back to the living hinge andare sized to provide side walls when the lid is in all of its openoperating positions. The side walls generally slidably contact the sidesof the dispensing aperture 90 so as to provide the desired chute-likedispenser. The dividing walls 30 may be terminated intermediate thefronts 32 of the ribs and the living hinge and may therefore have agreater angle of wedge inclination than the sidewalls.

As best illustrated in FIG. 6 the walls 30 and sidewalls 40 and 41 areall interconnected at the dispensing end of the hinged flap section 20at their bottoms by a reinforcing web member 50.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the web member 50 has a projecting latchportion 51. This is designed to underlie in an inturned lip portion 52.The lip 52 is at the top 36 of the periphery wall 18 and is sized toform a catch that with the latches 51 limits the opening of the lid.

Additionally, one or more of the dividing walls 30 may be provided withlatch beads 55 which are dimensioned to underlie and overlierespectively the inturned lip 52 as the lid 20 is moved towards a wideror narrower opening. The beads 55 cooperate with optimally projectingbead ribs 57 formed on the sidewalls 40 and 41. The bead ribs 57, asshown in FIG. 8, cooperate with a downturned lip 58 formed on theundersurface 59 of the top 19 at the sides 25 and 26 of the dispensingopening 90 formed for receipt of the hinged lid 20. In this manner aplurality of opened positions can be provided allowing the hinged lid tobe snapped into greater and lesser opened positions. In the most fullyclosed position both the topmost of the beads 55 and the topmost of thebead ribs 57 cooperate with their respective opposed surfaces of thelips 52 and 58 to maintain the dispensing flap closed.

As illustrated in FIG. 9 the closure of this invention may be formed ina single molding most expeditiously by molding the hinge portionelevated out of the opening in the top 19 into which it is to fit.Thereafter by forcing the web latch 51 which may be formed with a seriesof spaced stop ribs 70 best shown in FIG. 6, past the inturn lip 52, thepivoted flap section 20 can then be inserted into operable position inthe remainder of the closure cap. It will be appreciated that thisforcing can occur because the cap will be formed of a rigid butpartially yieldable plastics material.

It will be seen that by forming the inturned lip 52 of relatively smalldimensions extending directly inwardly from the periphery of wall 18that the actual dispensing opening 90 will lie substantially at theperiphery of the hat-like top. Again, by maintaining the ledge 17relatively small, or even nonexistent, the actual dispensing will occurat the periphery. Moreover it will be appreciated that the hinged lid 20when in an open position defines a chute-like dispenser defined by theundersurface 29, the sidewalls 40 and 41 and/or internal chute dividerwalls 30 and web 50. This provides a plurality of chute-like dispensingpassages 33 (FIG. 6). This chute-like dispensing, particularly whencoupled with the variable opening settings provided by the ribs 55and/or rib beads 57 allows very effective dispensing especially of dryor granular material from the container.

However, when the flap is closed, it is held in a secure closed positionby the beads 55 and bead ribs 5 to insure against accidental spillageand to act as a protective closure for the contents. It will beappreciated that by rounding or inclining the surfaces of the beads 55adjacent to their latch slots as illustrated, and by rounding the topand bottom surfaces of the bead ribs 57, that an over center snappingaction can be provided for during closing to maintain the actual pivotedflap in a secure closed position with the container being tightly closedat the dispensing opening with the projecting lip 35 pressed against thetop surface 36.

By properly sizing the position of the sidewalls 40 and 41, little or nogap will exist between the downturn lip 58 and the sidewalls.

In addition a seal-like connection can be provided at the top of thebead ribs to the sidewall. If desired the bead ribs can be extended toenhance that seal. Alternatively, if desired, the lid can extendslightly beyond the sidewalls and a corresponding portion of the top 19adjacent the sides 25 and 26 can be recessed to facilitate the seal. Itwill be appreciated that the skirt portion 18 is recessed at the top atthe portion overlied by the lip 35 as illustrated at 36 in FIG. 3. Asimilar recessing can extend along the sidewalls if desired.

To reiterate, one of the embodiments of our invention has a sidedispensing closure 11 for a container 10. The closure body has a top endwall 19, bounded by a skirt 15. The skirt has internal means 13 toattach the closure to the container. A relatively large aperture 90 isformed in the end wall to permit the dispensing of pourable productcarried in the container. A hinged lid 20 is integrally attached to thetop wall 19 to open and close the aperture 90. The lid 20 has a rear 21,front 27 and two sides 25, 26 with its rear being hinged to the top walland said front 27 extending beyond the periphery of the top wall to forma lip 35. A pair of side walls 40, 41 depending from the sides of thelid and are adapted to move in the aperture 90 when said lid is pivotedfrom an open position to a closed position. The lid has at least oneseparate dividing wall 30 depending from the undersurface of the lid,spaced a predetermined distance from each of the side walls and areinforcing web 50 interconnecting the bottom front portions of the sidewalls and dividing wall. The dividing wall, side walls, lid and webforming at least two chute-like dispensing orifices 33. When more thanone dividing wall is used, they preferably extend parallel to eachother. The side walls and dividing walls have front ends 44 and 34respectively which extend the entire width or opening of the orifices33. Preferably at least one side wall has a latch mechanism 55 to holdthe lid in a desired position.

In a preferred embodiment, as illustrated generally in FIG. 10 thecontainer 10 is equipped with a closure 61. The closure cap 61 hasfemale threads 13 on the closure skirt 15 which would index with malethreads on the neck of the container. Alternatively as noted above othertypes of fasteners may be used such as a snap-on bead fastener or thelike.

The closure as illustrated in FIGS. 10-12 has a depending peripheralskirt 15 on which the internal female threads 13 are formed. The top 16is formed as a generally hat-like extension extending upwardly from theskirt but positioned inwardly therefrom and spaced from the periphery ofthe skirt by a ledge section 17 The ledge section may overlie the rim ofthe container. The hat-like extension includes a peripheral wall portion18 and a top portion 19. The closure, including the skirt 15, the ledge17, the periphery 18 and the top 19 is circular although if desiredother shapes, except for the skirt 15, could be employed as will beapparent to those skilled in the art.

The top 19 is provided with a hinged lid portion 60 which occupies lessthan half of the top wall 19. The lid is connected to the remainingportions of the top wall through a living hinge connection 62 whichextends chordally of the top and is positioned such that the hingedportion occupies a substantial portion of the area of the top. When theperiphery 18 is circular, as in the preferred embodiment illustrated,the hinge connection in this embodiment is located at the diameter ofthe top 19 so that all generated curves, as will be described in greaterdetail below, can be generated with the hinges connection as thecenterpoint. As illustrated, the hinged portion fits in an opening 84 inthe top 19. The lid extends from the hinge to the periphery and isdefined by converging sidewalls 65 and 66. The side walls at dispensingperiphery 67 are spaced apart a considerable distance. The hingedportion 60 is provided in the manner of a flap or leaf which is attachedto the top wall only at the living hinge 62.

An undersurface 68 of the hinged portion is provided with a plurality ofdivider walls ribs 69 which, in the preferred embodiment are parallel toeach other but at a slight angle to the converging sidewalls 65, 66. Thedivider walls are wedge shaped with varying height such that, asillustrated in FIG. 12, each wall 69 has a short end 71 near the hingeconnection 62 and a taller forward end 72 adjacent the dispensingperiphery of the opening 84. The walls 69 terminate short of a foremostprojection 73 of the hinged lid 60 which foremost projection overliesand extends significantly beyond a peripheral top 36 of the periphery 18to form an opening lip (FIG. 14).

Sidewalls 74 and 75 extend downwardly from the top surface 76 of thehinged lid at the sides 65 and 66. Both the sidewalls 74 and 75 and thedividing walls 69 are wedge-shaped such that they project below theundersurface 68 to a greater extent adjacent the dispensing peripheralopening 67 and decrease in height towards the living hinge portion 62.The sidewalls 74 and 75 have a lesser angle of wedge inclination thanthe walls 69. The side wall angle of inclination would normally causethe sidewalls to extend rearwardly beyond the hinge. Thus near a rearterminal end 76, 77 of the sidewalls there is a recessed portion 78, 79which angles rapidly toward the undersurface 68 of the hinged lid 60.When the hinged lid is in a normal full open position, as shown in FIG.12, the bottom edge of the sidewall is below the undersurface of thewall 19. In this manner, the sidewalls 74, 75 will always remaincaptured in the opening in the top 19 so that closing of the hinged lidwill be easy to accomplish.

The sidewalls 74, 75 are preferably formed as sections of a cone, asbest seen in FIG. 15, such that the walls 74, 75 are bowed outwardlyslightly along a height of the walls to maintain the outer surface ofthe walls in tight sealing contact with the opening sides 65, 66 in thetop wall 19 of the closure as the hinged portion 60 moves between anopen and closed position.

As best illustrated in FIG. 16 the dividing walls 69 and sidewalls 74and 75 are all interconnected at the dispensing end of the hinged flap60 at their bottoms by a web member 80. The web member 80 has aprojecting latch portions 70 which are designed to underlie an inturnedlip portion 52 at the top 36 of the periphery 18 to form a catch thatwith the latches 70 limits the opening of the hinged lid.

Additionally, one or more of the dividing walls 69 may be provided withdetentes 81 which are formed by elongated integral ribs 82 formed on thearcuate ends of one or more of the dividing walls. The ribs 82 are sizedand dimensioned so that the detentes 81 engage the inturned lip 52 asthe hinged lid 60 is moved towards a wider or narrower opening. In thismanner a plurality of opened positions can be provided allowing thehinged lid to be shaped into greater and lesser opened positions. In themost fully closed position the topmost of the detentes 81 cooperateswith the opposed surface of the lip 52 to maintain the dispensing lid orflap 60 closed.

As illustrated in phantom in FIG. 12, the closure cap of this inventionmay be formed in a single molding most expeditiously by molding thehinged portion elevated out of the opening in the top 19 into which itis to fit. Thereafter by forcing the web latches 70 which may be formedas a series of spaced ribs best shown in FIG. 16, past the inturned lip52, the pivoted flap 60 can then be inserted into operable position inthe remainder of the closure. It will be appreciated that this forcingcan occur because the cap will be formed of a rigid but partiallyyieldable plastics material. Further, the hinged lid 60 may also bereopened to the phantom position of FIG. 12 by forcing the latches 70past the inturned lip 52, for example, to provide greater access to theinterior of the container for a utensil such as a spoon.

It will be seen that by forming the inturned lip 52 of relatively smalldimensions extending directly inwardly from the periphery 18 that theactual dispensing opening 83 will lie substantially at the periphery ofthe hat-like top. Again, by maintaining the ledge 17 relatively small,or even nonexistent, the actual dispensing will occur at the periphery.Moreover it will be appreciated that the hinged lid 60 when in an openposition defines a plurality of chute-like passages defined by theundersurface 68, sidewalls 74 and 75, dividing walls 69 and reinforcingweb 50. This chute-like dispensing, particularly when coupled with thevariable opening settings provided by the detentes 81 allows veryeffective dispensing of material from the container.

However, when the flap is closed, it is held in a secure closed positionby the top detentes 81 to insure against accidental spillage and to actas a protective closure for the contents. By properly sizing theposition of the sidewalls 74 and 75, when the lid is closed, little orno gap will exist between the lid 60 and its adjacent walls. If desired,the actual lid can extend slightly beyond the sidewalls 74, 75 (as at 85in FIG. 15) to facilitate the seal. It will be appreciated that theskirt portion 18 is recessed at the top at the portion overlaid by thelip 73 as illustrated at 36 in FIG. 12.

It will therefore be seen from the above embodiments that this inventionprovides an improved side dispensing container closure having a hingedlid which is constructed to provide chute-like dispensing passages.

While two embodiments have been shown, modifications and changes maybecome apparent to those skilled in the art which shall fall within thespirit and scope of the invention. It is intended that suchmodifications and changes be covered by the attached claims.

We claim as our invention:
 1. A one-piece molded plastic containerclosure having an open bottom and a closed top wall, comprising aperipheral skirt defining the open bottom, said skirt having internalmeans formed thereon for fixing the closure to a container, said topwall having an aperture therein of a predetermined size, said top wallhaving a lid with a lid rear hingedly connected to said top and beingpivotable to and from a closed position to an open position, said lidhaving a lid front terminating adjacent a periphery of said top wall,side walls for said lid depending from an undersurface of said lid, atleast one dividing wall depending from the lid undersurface and spacedfrom each of the side walls, said dividing wall having a front faceextending from said lid to a reinforcing web and a portion extendingtowards said lid rear, said reinforcing web interconnecting said sidewalls at a forward end of said sidewalls remote from said hingeconnection, said web being spaced from said lid undersurface, said lidundersurface and said side walls and said web defining at least twodispensing orifices when said lid is pivoted to an open position, saiddispensing opening having an outermost edge adjacent the periphery andspaced from the periphery of the top only by a narrow inturned lipwhereby the dispensing orifices are substantially at the periphery ofthe top, said web having latch means thereon projecting forwardly ofsaid sidewalls, said latch means cooperating with said inturned lipextending inwardly of the periphery of said top wall to limit opening ofsaid lid, and said side walls and lid undersurface and dividing walldefining at least two chute-like dispensing passages.
 2. A closureaccording to claim 1 wherein said lid has a plurality of dividing wallsdepending from the undersurface thereof, said dividing walls terminatingin close space relation to said inturned lip and being parallel to oneanother and extending a predetermined distance from said terminatingposition towards said hinge.
 3. A closure of claim 1 wherein saidsidewalls have projections formed thereon and said top adjacent thesidewalls has undersurfaces thereof which cooperate with saidprojections to retain said lid in selected positions.
 4. A closureaccording to claim 2 wherein said sidewalls have projections formedthereon and said top adjacent the sidewalls has undersurfaces thereofwhich cooperate with said projections to retain said lid in selectedpositions, said dividing walls being wedged shaped with said front facebeing a large end of sand wedge with said front face being in cointactwith sand inturned lip, at last one dividing wall front face having alatch means which cooperates with said inturned lip to releasably holdthe lid in at least one intermediate open position.